How's Your SoCal Lychee and Longan Trees Doing This Year?

[seng]

My lychee and longan fruits quite a bit this year.

[SoCalGardenNut]

My lychee and longan fruits quite a bit this year.

That’s amazing, I’m impressed. What do you use for fertlizer and when do you apply them?

[seng]

I use miracle grow powder.  I use when the leaves start to show sign of deficiency.

I'm going to start using organic fertilizer next year.

[12Zodiac]

Most miracle-gro fertilizers have high nitrogen which I read is not recommended for Logan or lychee. I guess once the tree is established it doesn’t matter. Awesome looking trees. My Logan and lychee trees have been in the ground for only 2 years, long way to go.

[EuroFruit]

I am not in SoCal but my longans are doing great this year.
On the pics there are two trees in one hole.
A Sri Chompoo and a Haew seedling. The brown longans are from this last and the greener from the grafted Sri chompoo
i began to harvest them last week. They are sweet and aromatic.
...

Where approximately in France are you to be able to grow longan in ground outdoor?

Hi,
 I would say French mediterranean Riviera (From St Raphaël to Menton with exclusions) + Corsica island.
Phil

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

I thought I would finally post a update for my two Lychee trees planted in 2020. This year in 2024 growth was very good with two flushes, one in late spring and another in later summer/early fall. Both of my trees now are over 9 feet tall and Mauritius lychee tree growing much wider compaired to a few years back. I am hoping to get consistant production of fruit starting in 2026 but we shall see. Enclosed are a few photos taken recently.

Johnny



Mauritius Lychee Tree (11-23-2024)



Brewster Lychee Tree (11-23-2024)

[seng]

Well.

[RevivalR00ts]

I thought I would finally post a update for my two Lychee trees planted in 2020. This year in 2024 growth was very good with two flushes, one in late spring and another in later summer/early fall. Both of my trees now are over 9 feet tall and Mauritius lychee tree growing much wider compaired to a few years back. I am hoping to get consistant production of fruit starting in 2026 but we shall see. Enclosed are a few photos taken recently.

Johnny



Mauritius Lychee Tree (11-23-2024)



Brewster Lychee Tree (11-23-2024)

Wtf!? How large were these trees when planted? Those are large and look amazing.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Actually, I am surprised more people don’t grow lychee trees in SoCal.  I see many Loquat, Avocado and Citrus trees in my area but no Lychee Trees. They produce delicious fruit and are very attractive specimens. Lychee Trees require above average watering, sprinklers by themselfs are inadequate, but at my location are disease free. Just plant them in good sandy soil and water very frequently especially in the spring and summer. If you plant young trees in heavy clay soil you are likely to have slower growth, perhaps much slower, as the roots have difficulty penetrating to dense clay partials.  A old timer who had been growing lychee trees for many years once told he it takes 6-7 years after planting in the ground for a lychee tree to begin to getting consistent fruit production. 

Over the last four years my trees have grown well here in HB. Enclosed is a photo from July 2020 when I planted my young Brewster lychee tree from a standard #15 pot.

Johnny



Brewster Lychee Tree just Planted (7-12-2020)

[greenerpasteur]

I dug up a huge lychee a few months ago and now it's flushing. Owner said it's not productive.

Can anyone recommend a few variety that's productive and good tasting? I'll graft it next year. Thank you

[mbmango]

Nice to see the Mauritius keeping pace with the Brewster.  We planted only a 2g last year, so it's only about 5g size so far, but hoping it can at least double up each year.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Thats a fairly large Lychee tree you dug up. Hard to say how productive it will be unless you have a known variety that has been air layered. Since these trees take a long time to come into production, I was very careful when selecting my lychee varieties.  Based on my research I chose Brewster and Mauritius which were known to be the most reliably productive.  I specifically avoided Sweetheart not because it was not a great lychee but because there was not much information about production, reliability or growth. I did not want to wait 7-10 years and be disappointed so I went with the industry standards. Brewster already produced a very small crop in 2023 so I am off to a good start.

Johnny

[greenerpasteur]

My friend ID as Brewster. Only a few fruits. I have a Mauritius but small 25 gallon airlayer.

[seng]

That fruit is definitely a brewster.  The fruit spiny shell kinds of hurt your fingers if you squish.

[gnoop]

My Brewster lychee died and was pulled.  The kids called it the drama queen tree as it really didn't like the small bit of fertilizer given.  The Kohala longan, on the other hand, has been a champ.  A few fruits.  None quite tasty but a good first start.  It's grown and has solid growth plans.  Wasn't a huge fan of the heatwave we got but took the 110F and 100F+ days better than my avocado.

I might try another lychee at some point but the Brewster I had was definitely temperamental. 

[Pau]

My Brewster lychee died and was pulled.  The kids called it the drama queen tree as it really didn't like the small bit of fertilizer given.  The Kohala longan, on the other hand, has been a champ.  A few fruits.  None quite tasty but a good first start.  It's grown and has solid growth plans.  Wasn't a huge fan of the heatwave we got but took the 110F and 100F+ days better than my avocado.

I might try another lychee at some point but the Brewster I had was definitely temperamental.

Which part of CA 9B are you in? My sweetheart lychee died also. I believe from fertilizer and no wind protection. I just bought another and overwintering it in garage. When it goes in ground in spring i will protect it from wind and give only worm casting.

[gnoop]

Well, it's 10a now but I'm in SFV.

[Pau]

Well, it's 10a now but I'm in SFV.

San Fernando Valley? Nice, lychee and logans should thrive. I am attempting to zone push with 9B northern Cal.

[12Zodiac]

I planted 3 lychee trees (Mauritius, Sweetheart, and Emperor) last year in a close proximity. The Sweetheart die shortly. I thought is may be over fertilizing but i didn’t really fertilized them trees beside light fish emulsion. Weird many of us in so cal have dying Sweetheart lychee.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Based on by experience and what worked well for me I purchased (2) two air layered lychee trees in #5 nursery pots. I removed both of them from the pots and washed off as much of the compost I could with a water hose. Planting trees in dead plant material is really bad. I then up-potted them to a larger #7 pot with a mix of 80% sandy soil, 10% pumice and 10% peat moss. I lightly fertilized with only slow release organic fertilizer as not to burn the plants every few months during summer. After new growth I again up-potted to a #15 container. To accelerate growth I place both trees in my small greenhouse which really helped the young trees grow fast. My goal was to have healthy trees with a strong root system ready to go into the ground.

Enclosed are a few photos of my Brewster from 2020 prior to plant in the ground. You can see the root system was well developed so when I planted it in my sandy soil in the ground it took off. Same thing with the Mauritius. Do not overfertilize young Lychee trees or you will do more harm than good. Young Lychee trees are very sentive to over fertilization especially the fast release liquid type.

Johnny


Brewster Lower Rootball Exposed (7-12-2020)



Brewster rootball (7-12-2020)

[gnoop]

Well, it's 10a now but I'm in SFV.

San Fernando Valley? Nice, lychee and logans should thrive. I am attempting to zone push with 9B northern Cal.

Depending in where, that might not be too bad.  We used to spend fair bits of time in the East-east Bay (Martinez/Concord/Walnut Creek).  Those areas, at least would probably not do too badly.

And yeah, San Fernando Valley. 

[K-Rimes]

Is it just me or is this a weird time for these to be flowering?

[seng]

Mine is flowering too.

[K-Rimes]

Ok, phewf. I was worried for my new landlord's trees. This is the first time they have flowered for him... 30 years after planting. Must have been seedlings. Really curious how they turn out.

Any recommendations other than regular water to ensure fruit set?

[spaugh]

mine are also starting to flower but yours is a little earlier Kevin.